Box hand hole reinforcement and method of use

ABSTRACT

A reinforcing member made of unitary construction is described. The reinforcing member has an outer face connected to an inner face by a middle frame. The inner face includes a first flange extending in a first direction from a first portion of the frame and a resiliently flexible second flange extending in an opposite direction from a flexible second portion of the frame. In use, an installer flexes the second flange and second frame portion so that the inner face will pass through the hand hole. Flexation may involve movement of the first flange toward the second flange, rotation of the second flange away from the outer face, or a combination of both. Once flexed, the inner face is inserted through the hand hole and the second flange is allowed to resume its unflexed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/395,066, filed Jul. 11, 2002, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The invention relates to the reinforcement of hand holes inshipping and storage boxes, and particularly to a new reinforcing memberof unitary construction. The invention further relates to a method ofusing the reinforcing member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is well known that cardboard boxes can be awkward to handledue to their size and shape. Therefore, it has become common to provideconvenient hand holes in two opposing sides of a box. Although effectivein combating the awkwardness, hand holes lead to other well knownproblems. When a user lifts the box, his or her fingers exert localizedforces on portions of the upper edge of the hand hole. These localizedforces can be uncomfortable, if not painful, for the user. In addition,localized forces subject the relatively weak cardboard web to unduestress. It is, therefore, not surprising that the cardboard often tearsunder the localized forces if the box is laden with heavy contents.Tearing of such a box exposes the user and others nearby to a risk ofserious injury because sudden tearing could cause the user to drop thebox or heavy contents to spill out. The potential for tearing and theassociated risk of injury become even more prevalent when the walls ofthe box are thinned to reduce the weight of the box and to reducepackaging costs.

[0004] Thus, hand hole reinforcing units have been proposed. However,the known reinforcing units are expensive, injection molded units havinga body, a cover, and several hinges and snapping features. A firstproblem with the known units is that the mold required to make them isitself very expensive because it must have many complicated shut-offs.In addition, a great deal of ongoing maintenance is required to keep theshut-offs working properly. However, drawbacks to the known units do notend here.

[0005] Given the cost of producing the known reinforcing units, onewould expect them to be easily installed. However, the contrary is true.To install the unit, a user must identify the top of the unit bylocating an up arrow. The user then inserts the body of the unit throughthe hand hole and swings the cover portion into a snapping engagementwith the body. If not careful, an installer may be painfully pinchedduring the process. Further, the units are generally symmetrical top tobottom so it is possible to install it upside down in the hand hole. Ifso installed, the user may regretfully find his or her knuckles caughton a square inside edge of the unit, causing pain and delays in furtherinstallations.

[0006] Therefore, a need exists for a hand hole reinforcement that isinexpensively produced, fast and easy to install, and improves thesafety of the package.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The invention solves this long felt need by providing areinforcing member made of unitary construction. The reinforcing memberhas an outer face connected to an inner face by a middle frame. Theinner face includes a first flange extending in a first direction from afirst portion of the frame and a resiliently flexible second flangeextending in an opposite direction from a resiliently flexible secondportion of the frame.

[0008] In use, an installer flexes the second flange and second frameportion so that the inner face will pass through the hand hole.Flexation may involve movement of the first flange toward the secondflange, rotation of the second flange away from the outer face, or acombination of both. Once flexed, the inner face is inserted through thehand hole and the second flange is allowed to resume its natural,unflexed position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hand hole reinforcing memberfrom the front and right of the outer face, according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 2 is a view of the hand hole reinforcing member of FIG. 1from the front and above the outer face.

[0011]FIG. 3 is a view of the hand hole reinforcing member of FIG. 1from the front and left of the outer face.

[0012]FIG. 4 is a view of the hand hole reinforcing member of FIG. 1showing the inner face.

[0013]FIG. 5 is a view of the hand hole reinforcing member of FIG. 1showing the right side.

[0014]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hand hole reinforcingmember taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1, in association with a hand holeof a box.

[0015]FIG. 7 is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 with the hand holereinforcement in a flexed state.

[0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the outer face of a secondembodiment of a hand hole reinforcement according to the presentinvention.

[0017]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the inner face of the hand holereinforcement of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are shown inthe Figures forms which are presently preferred; it being understoodthat this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements andinstrumentalities shown.

[0019]FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a reinforcement for a box handhole according to the present invention. The reinforcement is areinforcing member 10 of unitary construction. As used herein, “unitaryconstruction” means formed as a single part, not having distinct piecesthat must be later assembled or otherwise connected together. The member10 may be molded in a generally trapezoidal shape, shown from the frontin FIG. 2, from a variety of flexible materials. Presently it iscontemplated that the member 10 be formed from high density polyethyleneor polypropylene. However, those skilled in the art will recognize thatmany other flexible plastics and other moldable materials can also beused.

[0020] The member 10 has an inner face 12 connected to an outer face 14by a frame 16. These features are clearly shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5,which are views of the member 10 looking at the outer face 14, the innerface 12, and the right side (from the perspective of the outer face),respectively. The inner face 12 and outer face 14 are substantiallydisposed in parallel planes.

[0021] It is contemplated that the outer face 14 extends around theentire trapezoidal outer edge of the frame 16. Preferably, the cornersof the outer face 14 are rounded, and the major sides are gently roundedto a widest point at the mid-section of each.

[0022] The inner face 12 includes a first flange 18 extending in a firstdirection from a first portion 20 of the frame 16. The first flange 18,first portion 20 of the frame 16 and outer face 14 together have a Ushaped cross section, shown in FIG. 5. The first portion 20 is depictedin the drawings as the top of the frame, i.e. that portion which, inuse, will engage the top edge of a hand hole in the side of a box andtransmit upward force from a user's fingers to lift the box. Although itis preferred that the first portion 20 be the top of the frame 16, theinvention can be carried out with the first portion 20 forming thebottom of the frame 16 as well.

[0023] The inner face 12 includes a resiliently flexible second flange22 extending from a flexible second portion 24 of the frame 16. Theflexible second flange 22 extends from the frame 16 in a directionopposite that of first flange 18. As shown in FIG. 4, flexible secondflange 22 extends furthest from the frame at its mid-point, wheremaximum displacement occurs when the flange 22 is flexed. Preferably,the second portion 24 is the bottom of the frame 16, i.e. that whichengages the bottom edge of a box hand hole when installed. There are anumber of reasons why this arrangement is preferred. First, the member10 of the first embodiment is preferably trapezoidal in shape, to beused with hand holes of a corresponding shape. Because the second flange22 of the inner face and second portion 24 of the frame form the longermajor side of the trapezoid, greater flexibility is inherent in theseelements. (Material of constant rigidity has more flex if formed into alonger unit.) Second, when the flexible second flange 22 and flexibleportion 24 are disposed at the bottom of the member 10, the top of themember 10, including first flange 18 and first portion 20 of the frame16, can be made rigid. This is preferable because, in use, a rigid topportion will more evenly distribute the lifting force to the cardboardthat forms the top edge of the hand hole of a box. Third, if desired,the first flange 18 and first portion 20 can be specially molded withcomfortable gripping designs (not shown) without regard to flexibility.Fourth, the second flange 22 and second portion 24 may includefunctional guide and/or flex-enhancing elements that might beuncomfortable for a user to grasp while lifting the top portion of themember 10 to lift up the box. Thus, a rigid top portion of member 10 andflexible bottom portion, as shown in FIGS. 1-5 is preferred. However, itwill become apparent that such an arrangement is not necessary to carryout the present invention in view of the second embodiment describedbelow.

[0024] The second flange 22 of the inner face 12 preferably includes oneor more guide elements which tend to urge the second flange in thedirection of arrow A (FIG. 4) toward the first flange 18 when subjectedto a force perpendicular to the plane of the second flange. Theperpendicular force is provided by resistance of the cardboard boxagainst the guide elements as explained below. Shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,the guide elements may be a series of ribs 26 extending perpendicularfrom the plane of the second flange 22. The guide elements arepreferably designed to rotate the second flange 22 away from the outerface 14 when subjected to the force perpendicular to the plane of thesecond flange 18. The direction of rotation of the second flange 22 awayfrom the outer face 14 is represented by arrow B in FIG. 5.

[0025] The flexible second flange 22 is also preferably provided withflex-enhancing elements perpendicular to the long axis of the secondflange 22. The flex-enhancing elements are shown in FIG. 3 as a seriesof slits 28 disposed along the length of the flexible second flange 22.The slits 28 are disposed perpendicular to the long axis of the secondflange 22 and may stretch most of the distance over which the flange 22extends from second portion 24 of the frame 16. However, to eliminatesharp edges and enhance integrity of the second flange 22, it ispreferred that the slits 28 do not extend the entire distance over whichthe flange 22 extends. It is also preferred that the slits 28 extendinto the flexible second portion 24 of the frame 16 and partially intothe outer face 14 as well.

[0026]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the reinforcing member 10taken along line 66 of FIG. 1 through a rib 26, in association with theside of a box 30 having a hand hole 32. To install the member 10 intothe hand hole 32, the first flange 18 is first inserted through the hole32. The user pushes the outer face 14 in the direction of arrow C,causing ribs 26 to engage the box 30. Further pushing causes the ribs 26to guide flexation of the second flange 22, rotating the second flange22 away from the outer face 14 in the direction of arrow B and pushingthe second flange 22 toward the first flange 18 in the direction ofarrow A. Once flexed, adequate clearance is available for second flange22 to move through the hole 32, as is shown in FIG. 7. Once through thehole 32, the second flange 22 resiliently flexes back to its naturalshape, securely keeping the member 10 engaged with the hand hole 32.

[0027] In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7, the first flange 18 and firstportion 20 of the frame are substantially rigid. However, these elementsmay also be flexible, as is the case in a second embodiment of thereinforcing member 110, which is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

[0028] According to the second embodiment, the reinforcing member 110includes an inner face 112 and an outer face 114. The inner and outerfaces are disposed in substantially parallel planes and are connected toone another by a frame 116. The inner face includes first and secondflanges, respectively labeled 118 and 122, connected to the frame 116 atopposite portions 120 and 124 thereof In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and8, the first and second flanges 118, 122 are very similar and both areflexible. The respective frame portions 120 and 124 are also similar andflexible. In addition, the general shape of the member 110 may berectangular, rather than trapezoidal. Thus, the member 110 can beperfectly symmetrical about both major and minor axes. In this case, themember can be inserted into a rectangular hand hole of a box with eitherthe first flange 118 or the second flange 122 oriented upwardly.

[0029] Because both the first and second flanges 118, 122 are flexible,they are shown with fewer guide and/or flex-enhancing elements than areshown in FIGS. 1-5. Specifically, each flange 118, 122 is shown withonly three guide elements 126 and two flex-enhancing elements 128.Although fewer in number, the elements 126 and 128 function insubstantially the same manner as the analogous elements 26 and 28.However, the differences between the second embodiment and that shown inFIGS. 1-5 allows for a slightly different method of insertion into a boxhand hole. Rather than inserting the first flange 118 through the handhole prior to flexation of the second flange 122, both flanges can beflexed and inserted through the hole simultaneously.

[0030] As noted above, a variety of modifications to the embodimentsdescribed will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thedisclosure provided herein. Thus, the present invention may be embodiedin other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essentialattributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to theappended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, asindicating the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A box hole reinforcement comprising: areinforcing member of unitary construction having an outer faceconnected to an inner face by a middle frame, the inner face having afirst flange extending in a first direction from a first portion of theframe and a resiliently flexible second flange extending in an oppositedirection from a flexible second portion of the frame.
 2. Thereinforcement of claim 1 wherein the flexible second flange comprisesone or more guide elements tending to urge the second flange toward thefirst flange when subjected to a force perpendicular to a plane of thesecond flange.
 3. The reinforcement of claim 2 wherein the guideelements comprise ribs extending perpendicular from the plane of thesecond flange.
 4. The reinforcement of claim 1 wherein the flexiblesecond flange comprises one or more guide elements tending to rotate thesecond flange away from the outer face when subjected to a forceperpendicular to a plane of the second flange.
 5. The reinforcement ofclaim 4 wherein the guide elements comprise angled ribs extendingperpendicular from the plane of the second flange.
 6. The reinforcementof claim 1 wherein the flexible second flange comprises slitsperpendicular to a long axis of the flange.
 7. The reinforcement ofclaim 6 wherein the slits extend into the flexible second portion of theframe.
 8. The reinforcement of claim 1 wherein the reinforcing member issubstantially trapezoidal.
 9. The reinforcement of claim 1 wherein thefirst flange and first portion of the frame are substantially rigid. 10.The reinforcement of claim 9 wherein the first flange, first portion ofthe frame and outer face together have a U shaped cross section.
 11. Amethod of reinforcing a hand hole comprising: providing a reinforcingmember of unitary construction having an outer face connected to aninner face by a middle frame, the inner face having a first flangeextending in a first direction from a first portion of the frame and aflexible second flange extending in an opposite direction from aflexible second portion of the frame; flexing the second flange towardthe first flange; inserting the inner face through the hand hole; andallowing the second flange to rotate back toward the outer face.
 12. Themethod of claim 11 where the flexing step comprises the step of engagingguide member on the second flange with an edge of a wall that definesthe hand hole.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the flexing stepcomprises the step of rotating the second flange away from the outerface.
 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step ofinserting the first flange through the hole prior to the flexing step.